


Kiss From A Rose

by Firebird_X



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alive Rose Quartz, Lapis Lazuli Needs a Hug (Steven Universe), Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-02 22:15:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21168743
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Firebird_X/pseuds/Firebird_X
Summary: A series of shorts that will hopefully form something more -- much like the Steven Universe Universe itself -- Lapis Lazuli finds love, then something impossible. She's supposed to be dead...so why can Lapis hear Rose singing and crying?





	1. More Precious Than Gold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bismuth has something to say to Lapis...if Peridot will ever give her a chance.

_Do I feel...good?_

Even after two years of peace – Spinel's brief incursion aside – Lapis found the sensation an alien one.

_Six thousand years trapped in one place too close too much don't think about it_

While Lapis lounged atop Little Homeworld's tallest tower, water clones helped construction along below her. The terraforming gem watched the clouds go by, smiling as Peridot surfed her lid over her construction efforts. Peri stared at the water brigade for a few seconds, then mock-glared at Lapis. "That's cheating," her best friend drawled.

"Hey, I'm the hardest-working gem in town. I can't help it if I'm so awesome that I can skygaze at the same time," Lapis retorted. Peri's glare turned a fraction less fake, one eye twitching. "Honestly, Peri, when are you going to trade that ride in for something more dignified?"

"'Dignified?'" Peridot objected. She pointed at Lapis, stabbing the finger out every few words. "I will have you know, Lapis Lazuli, that this is a shield used by mighty human warriors to defend this world from corrupted gems, and I honor them every time I use it as my aerial command platform!"

"It's meant to keep garbage from escaping," Lapis pointed out, chuckling. "Aren't you supposed to be teaching me about human society?"

Peri sighed, holding her forehead. "Lapis, do you have any idea how many humans _and_ gems petition for even momentary access to my unparalleled genius? I have too many duties to continue your tutelage in the humanities."

"Says the gem riding a trash can lid," Lapis pointed out.

Peridot fumed as only the adorable little genius could. "Human...warrior...shield," she retorted, then sighed. "Oh, never mind. Just get that last housing domicile complete before nightfall, would you? I have a meeting with the mayo person. Why a master of condiments is so important eludes me, but..." Peri's voice trailed off, lost to Lapis' giggle fit. _Was it really only two years ago that I thought Steven was trapped in that video screen?_

_Lost alone dark cold helpless on and on forever and ever and ever and–_

Lapis leaped to her feet, shaking her head, then slapping her cheeks. _No. Not today. Today, we finish Little Homeworld. We're not coming home – we're making a home. _Our_ home. At last._

"Hey there, Stargem," Bismuth called, striding up with Connie by her side. Lapis blushed. _Must she call me that?_ she wondered, frustrated at the ultramarine darkening her cheeks against her will. "How's it gleaming?"

"I'm...mostly okay," Lapis admitted, shrugging. "Trying not to think about Spinel."

Connie blinked. "I thought we were good with her," the human prodded.

"I can hardly blame her," Lapis pointed out. "It was just an...unfortunate reminder."

Steven's partner winced. "Oooh. Sorry, I should've thought of that," she admitted. Lapis felt lighter at Connie's words. _She – she actually apologized. For something so trivial, at that,_ she thought. "But, wow! You didn't even flinch! That's amazing!" She walked up beside Lapis and looked into the sky, teeth playing at the edge of one lip. "Thousands of years...I can't even imagine it."

"Your life spans wouldn't allow it," Lapis explained. "I think the human phrase would be, 'a blessing in disguise.' It's..." She shuddered and hugged herself. "...like an eternal abyss, or the void between galaxies. Endless and dark and empty and...and alone. Alone forever." She closed her eyes. _Except when they questioned me, and I begged, and they locked me away for centuries at a time – the Authority, the Crystal Gems – none of them sorry for an atrocity, but they look at _me_ and say "not all gems are good" – no, stop, this isn't helping!_

Connie hugged her, and Lapis opened her eyes, and the abyss vanished in the light of Earth's golden sun. "You're not alone anymore, Lapis. You'll never be alone again."

Against her will, Lapis hugged her back. "You don't know that, Connie. There are dozens of angry species out there displaced by the Authority. The war could start again if White Diamond has one bad day. Jasper is still...Jasper." The other two laughed, and Lapis couldn't help a chuckle. "I'm sorry. I don't know why I'm like this today."

"Relax, Stargem," Bis insisted. "That happens sometimes when you hold it together for too long. It's okay to fall apart a little once you've beaten the bad gems." She chuckled and shrugged. "Even if they end up being not so bad in the end."

"Yeah. I'm really glad things turned out okay for Spinel," Lapis agreed, letting Connie go and turning her attention back to Little Homeworld. "I just hope she ends up happy with the Diamonds. Honestly, I...have my doubts." She shook her head. "What's that concept, Connie? 'Replacement Goldfish,' right?"

Connie laughed. "Not TV Tropes! Even a gem could go in there and never come out!"

"Don't worry, Lapis," Bismuth added, serious in an instant and a reassuring hand on the blue gem's shoulder. "We've got her back, just like we've got yours." A thousand conflicted feelings roared through Lapis. _She didn't call me Stargem. That's better, right? And it's nice, to be able to rely on someone. To hear them say the words. "I'm sorry. We're your friends. You're not alone." That...makes it easier to believe. I want to..._ Lapis' eyes went wide when she realized that Bis was staring into them. That she felt safer under the big gem's sheltering arm (thrown over her with the Diamond robot's foot overhead, like an instinct). _I've...been calling her "Bis" in my head,_ she realized.

Connie giggled, but that didn't so much break the spell as put it on hold. "Should I leave you two alone?" the cute human asked.

Bis groaned. "It ain't gonna be like that, Connie. I...I'm the one who poofed her."

All of Connie's good humor vanished. "Huh?"

Lapis knew how she felt. "I thought we were past that, Bis," she sighed.

Both visitors stared at her, Connie in awe, Bismuth in disbelief. _And...is that hope? No. Ridiculous. What else could she want? From a Lapis Lazuli?_ "The ways Bismuth said that, she _has_ to mean how you ended up...in the mirror. Right?" Connie asked.

"She didn't know what would happen," Lapis sighed, dropping to sit on the roof. "It was a war, and even if I wasn't as powerful as I am now, Crystal Gems were always afraid of Lazulis. Earth's a water planet."

The lithe gem found herself wrapped in a huge, sheltering hug. "I should've been better," Bismuth insisted. "I didn't poof you because I was afraid–"

"–you did it because you were angry. I _know,_ Bis, we've been through this." Lapis indulged in another sigh. "It's nothing I haven't done myself. Looks like it's trauma day on Camp Pining Hearts. I hate season five."

"Maybe...I _should_ leave you two alone," Connie suggested, sounding far less shipper-oriented than she had a moment before. Lapis shrugged.

All at once, Bismuth leaped back, her titanic frame shaking just enough to notice. She swallowed, eyes wide, jaw quivering. Lapis blinked. _What is she –_

Bis dropped to one knee and began to sing:

"If I could begin to do,  
something that does right by you,  
I would do about anything,  
I would even learn how to love." 

Lapis' jaw dropped, and she found herself on her feet before she knew what had happened. "Bis...?"

She wasn't done, though:

"When I see the way you look,  
shaken by how long it took,  
I could do about anything,  
I could even learn how to love like you." 

Fear. _Terror._ It crushed Lapis like the centuries, like the ocean, like the cell on Peri – on Jasper's ship. "I...I don't understand..." Bis' eyes swam, shimmering with the same fear in Lapis' gem...

"KISS HER, YOU CLOD!" Lapis jumped in place, turning to find Peridot floating not five meters away. "Honestly, eight seasons of Camp Pining Hearts and you can't deduce a confession of love when you hear one?"

"But...me?" Lapis blurted. "That's...impossible..." Connie's jaw dropped. Bis looked like she was about to cry.

"She even _sang it to you!"_ Peridot howled, her frustration almost palpable as she pumped her fists in the air. "That makes it empirically love. It's science!"

"You're the strongest gem I've ever known," Bismuth whispered. Connie and Peridot clamped their hands over their mouths as though it would help.

Lapis shook her head. "That's not strength. It's just power."

Bismuth took her hand, and for the first time, Lapis thought she knew what humans meant about their hearts stopping. She couldn't have moved if White Diamond showed up to shatter her. "Where do you think that power comes from? No other Lapis could do the things you've done. You flew to Homeworld with nothing but a pair of wings. Stood up to Blue Diamond's grief when she drove the rest of us to our knees."

"Turned an entire ocean into a space elevator," Peridot reminded her. Bismuth slapped her forehead. "Wow, I wish I could have seen that."

"Not my proudest moment, Peri," Lapis pointed out. "I almost shattered some humans. I didn't know how fragile they were, but even at that the waves could have cracked weaker gems."

"I'm more amazed that you didn't rip apart reefs or shorelines with that uncontrolled collapse," Connie added, then gasped and covered her face. "Sorry!"

"You don't need to apologize – wait, 'uncontrolled?' Connie, I should have been more careful, but I'm a terraforming gem. I wasn't going to damage Steven's home world. Of course I kept it in check," Lapis explained.

Connie gasped and uncovered her face. "You did?"

"Well, _duh,"_ Peridot retorted. "Come on, a mass like that striking the planet from the kind of height Lapis achieved? A terminal velocity descent with that vector would have been an _extinction level event."_

Bismuth cleared her throat with a sound like a star engine powering up. Both other women went silent again. "You forgave me. Moved on with your life even though everyone expected you to be chill about five thousand _years_ of _wrong._ You're brilliant and beautiful and brave, everything I thought an upper crust could never be. You're living proof of a dream I thought I could never believe in again."

Lapis glanced away. "Rose..."

"Lapis, you helped me find the strength to forgive her. You're always just – _there,_ being kind and helpful, being _everywhere_ when we need you." Bis gestured at the water brigade, still hard at work in spite of all her turmoil.

"I wasn't always like this," Lapis admitted, somehow finding the strength to tear her eyes from the raw emotion radiating from Bismuth's. "I'm still not always, exactly."

"What, you have bad days sometimes? Welcome to the club." Bismuth stood. "Look, that's all the poet I've got in me. I'm okay, whatever your answer is. I just...am I nuts? Do we have a shot here, or am I just seeing things?" Bis smiled, but Lapis saw right through it. _Smiles to fight the pain, the fear. I've seen too many,_ Lapis thought. "I've been blind before. I'm not going to push you. Just...say something? Please?"

It was _wrong,_ seeing Bismuth look fragile. All the same, Lapis was gentle as she put one hand on the powerful gem's cheek. "I'm not a clod," she pointed out. Peridot gasped.

Then she kissed Bismuth.

It was sweet and awkward and more than a little strange. Lapis knew she'd kissed someone before, but her memories from before Steven rescued her were a silver-gray jumble floating in the abyss. _I...have no idea what I'm doing,_ Lapis realized. Then Bismuth kissed her back and none of it mattered. Connie and Peri cheered and wept, but the tears on Lapis' face were hers and Bismuth's. _It's as close as I'll ever get to fusion again, but it's enough._

Then Bismuth swung her around, whooping for joy. At last, Peridot withdrew, Connie dangling from the bottom of her lid. "Oh, stars, I thought I was gonna poof on the spot. You're a handful, you know that, Stargem?"

Lapis chuckled. "As the humans say, 'you knew the job was dangerous when you took it.' Not that you're exactly easy mode yourself." She wiped away a tear. "Well. I suppose we should talk."

"Tell you what. I'll forge you a real weapon, and you can talk about anything you want," Bis promised.

"Almost anything," Lapis replied, grinning and picking up Bis to fly them both to the Forge.

Bismuth sighed. "So, Rose or the mirror?"

"We've talked about the mirror too much already, and this is not the time to bother you with...her," Lapis pointed out. "I'm curious about the woman who began the rebellion and created Steven. It can wait."

"Nah, it's cool," Bismuth replied. "We've got a lot of stuff to work out." Her grin returned. "Then we can take care of Bismuth."

"Love," Lapis replied, and Bis gasped, "I intend to spend the rest of my life taking care of Bismuth."

Bismuth clasped her hands for a moment, chuckling in a truly strange way. "Y'know, I kinda forgot one last poetic...thing." Lapis chuckled back. "Most of the time, humans have this weird thing for gold. It's usually the substance they consider the most valuable. Except for a while in one part of the world, where it was only in second place. When they wanted to paint something in the most perfect blue on Earth, they used lapis lazuli. It was the most precious substance in their world." She looked up and smiled. "Mine too."

Lapis cried happy tears for the first time she could remember. _So this is joy. I'd forgotten what it was like._ They laughed together, leaving their tears behind, as they soared towards the Forge. _I'll never forget again._


	2. A Rose In Water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lapis hears something in the water that changes the Crystal Gems' lives forever.

“I call this official meeting of the Crystal Gems to order,” Steven reported, his squeaky “gavel” letting out a comical whine. Lapis giggled while Connie, Amethyst, and Bismuth laughed outright. Garnet smiled.

Pearl and Peridot sighed in nearly perfect time. “As though we ever have ‘order’ at one of these meetings,” Pearl noted, fingertips pressed lightly to her gem.

“I know, Pearl,” Peridot agreed, shaking her head, “but someone with true intellect has to keep this rabble in line, and we have too much empirical evidence as it is that neither one of us is sufficient gempower for the task.”

“Y’hear that, Steven?” Bismuth boomed, fists on her hips. Lapis thought she might glow at the sight of her new partner’s smile. “We’re not good enough for these rocks!”

“Yeah,” Steven chuckled, “I guess that means we should get down...”

“Don’t say it,” Pearl groaned.

“…to Bismuth!” Steven and Bis cried as one. Then they laughed even more. _Look at them go. It’s like they were carved to be friends,_ Lapis mused.

Pearl’s now-traditional followup sigh was even deeper than usual. “It is Steven’s turn to serve as chair. Shall we start with old business or new?”

“Um...” Steven looked at the agenda. “Y’know, we really don’t have a lot of stuff to cover today. The Diamond Authority’s being good, Spinel’s okay, Little Homeworld’s done, there’s no corruption or cluster mutants running around...”

Bismuth snorted. “So nothin’ to do but build stuff, huh? Well, it could be worse.” She shrugged. “Anyone up for old stories? Lapis was asking me about Rose the other day.”

Lapis’ eyes bulged. _What?_ she thought, gasping. “Bis, I don’t think this is the time,” she breathed.

Garnet glared at the lithe water-bender for an instant before grimacing and looking away. “We’re meeting to make practical plans, Bismuth. I’m happy for you and – your relationship, but we have work to do.”

“No, I agree with Bismuth,” Steven blurted. Garnet’s sigh was half groan. Amethyst just groaned. As little love existed between the Lazuli and the fusion, Lapis thought they were right. “What made you wonder about Rose, Lapis?”

_Steven..._

Lapis blinked. _What was that?_ she wondered, looking around. Nothing. “She saved your planet. She bubbled Bismuth. Her heroism ended eons of Homeworld conquest. Her fury shattered Homeworld itself . Rose’s defiance made you all what you are – even Peridot is a result of her legacy, in a way.” Lapis began a shrug, but froze at the sorrow singing in the void. _What? No. It’s just the mirror hallucinations. It’s nothing._ She shook her head. “I hoped that understanding her would help me understand the world I protect. Garnet’s right. It can wait.”

“No, this is great, Lapis!” Steven gushed. “We’ve needed to work things out about Mom for a long time, anyway.” _Love. LOVE, that could move galaxies. What?_

“Steven Universe, therapist to his namesake,” Connie chuckled. _Joy. __Hope. __Where?_

Pearl pressed her lips together and looked away. “I don’t know...maybe Garnet is right. This meeting won’t be very productive if we start talking about Rose.” _Love __again, __but different__. Guilt. Passion. __Sorrow__. Why?_ Lapis wondered.

“That depends on what we are trying to produce,” Peridot pointed out. “It has been my admittedly subjective experience that Steven has a marked positive effect on morale.” She gulped at the mix of icy glares, darting eyes, and stony expressions. “At least, in the long term?”

“This is pointless,” Garnet objected again. _Pain. Trust? Like how I feel around Steven. Guilt again, but different – deeper regret, pulsing in and out. How?_

“You know it’s not, power couple,” Bismuth replied, shaking her head. “We’ve needed to work this stuff out for too long.” _Definitely regret, but...less guilt? Pride. Who?_ Lapis closed her eyes, leaning forward. “Stargem? You still with us?”

“I hear something,” Lapis said, standing. “A voice, a presence...a whole bundle of emotions, reacting to each of you. Especially Steven.” She opened her eyes, looking at her best friend. “But not Peri. That doesn’t make sense.”

Pearl blinked at her. “No, it doesn’t. Could you be more specific, Lapis?”

“Not yet,” Lapis admitted. “Keep talking. It started when we got serious about Rose.” She closed her eyes, almost missing Pearl’s gasp.

“The emotions,” Pearl blurted. “What were they like? Did they seem consistent? Like one person was feeling them?” _Guilt and passion again – part of one another?_

“Yes,” Lapis agreed. “Wait, I’m getting a direction. Keep talking.” She shuffled in the direction of the voice, arms outstretched.

“Well there’s something I never thought I’d hear from you,” Garnet quipped. “To be honest, I’m tired of talking about Rose.” Lapis nearly stumbled. _Agony. Drowning in the grief. Regret._ She reached out, with her hands and her mind. _The water? It’s in water, but how? Where?_ The others paused while Lapis searched. “You look unwell, Lapis.”

“That wasn’t me. It was the presence. It was sorry,” Lapis explained. “It was _sorrow._ It’s in the water.” Pearl shook hard enough for Lapis to figure out it was the older gem, even with her eyes closed.

“The what now?” Bismuth blurted. “Hey, anybody got some idea of what’s going on?”

“Not in the slightest. This is unprecedented,” Peridot replied. Then she smirked, putting her fists on her hips. “Of course, our Lapis is the most powerful of her kind by multiple orders of magnitude.”

“It’s not responding. Don’t talk about me, talk about Rose. Or Steven? No, Peridot mentioned him – wait.” _LOVE again, then – yearning. Regret that could fill __Lapis’_ _void__. So vast._ Lapis strode more quickly, with greater certainty.

“Uh, Lapis? Where are you going?” Steven asked, his chuckle nervous. Pearl whimpered.

_Weird,_ Lapis thought. “Towards the voice,” she explained. “Steven saved me. When I was so alone I thought there was nothing but the mirror and the emptiness.” _Pride. Happiness. There!_

“Ah-heh...Lapis? Lapis maybe you should slow down–“ Steven rattled off.

Lapis made contact. Her hands were on some kind of fabric, but beneath it – water, _living_ water, churning, agitated, confused. Something was pulsing with notable speed, three times every two seconds, give or take. “It’s the water. It’s...alive, somehow. The emotions were so intense, I felt it through my connection.” Lapis opened her eyes.

Steven was blushing. Her hands were on his chest. Connie stared with a mix of disbelief and frustration. Amethyst laughed while Peridot facepalmed. “Oh,” Lapis said, her own blush forming. “Humans are mostly water. Right.” Slowly, she pulled back her arms, and Steven relaxed. Lapis looked away. “I guess it was you. I’ll...just make a water clone to be sure.” She held out her palm, calling sea spray to it. The figure formed in seconds…

...but it wasn’t Steven. It was a large, beautiful, powerful woman with eyes that shone with wit and charm even in a liquid simulacrum. She had amazing, cascading hair in wide, curled columns. Lapis felt the presence trying to fill the image, but competing senses of confusion – the figure’s and Lapis’ – dissolved it before the water-bending gem could stabilize it. “That...was not Steven.”

“Rose?” Lapis turned to look at Pearl, her captor of millennia, and nearly poofed at the sight of the implacable warrior. The legendary renegade Pearl looked like she’d shatter if someone tapped her on the shoulder. “That...looked like Rose.”

“Fascinating!” Peridot cheered. The room went dead silent. _Please don’t shatter her,_ Lapis prayed.

-SU- -SU- -SU-

No one shattered Peridot, though Garnet looked like she was reconsidering. Peri had long since turned Barn 2.0 into a laboratory-slash-gallery, filled with mad science and meep-morps. Steven stood on a crystal platform much like a Warp Pad while every wonder known to modern Gem technology probed his light form.

Lapis herself concentrated with all her might, probing into the flowing liquid mass that made up the majority of an organic being’s form. Steven’s form. _It was so clear before. What am I missing?_ Lapis raged at herself. _If I gave him hope for...made him think that…_ she couldn’t finish the sentence, even in her mind. _I’ll never forgive myself._ She turned a pleading look on Peridot.

The tiny genius yelped and leaped in place, then nearly stuck her head in the monitor before her. “I keep getting signals from inside the liquid, but the H2O molecules themselves...I’m sorry, Steven, Lapis.” Peridot bowed her head in defeat. “It’s just water.”

“Wait, inside the water?” Lapis blurted. _It’s so obvious!_ she realized. “Of course! How could I be so stupid?”

“What do you mean, Lapis?” Steven pleaded.

Connie straightened, eyes gleaming in the sterile laboratory light. “There’s almost no such thing as pure water, Steven. Outside of – well, a lab – all ‘water’ is really an aqueous solution of some kind! That means there’s stuff that’s so completely dissolved into the water, it’s just as much part of the liquid as the water itself,” she explained.

“It wouldn’t be part of your gem,” Lapis explained, redoubling her efforts. “That’s why it reacted the way it did when White separated it from you.”

“Please, I don’t understand, what does that mean?” Pearl begged. Lapis was shocked to find that she didn’t feel the least animosity towards the desperate gem. “Are you saying that...she could be...”

“Let’s not jump to conclusions,” Garnet interjected, arms crossed. “We already know that Steven has some of Rose’s memories. It’s possible that his body is reacting to them somehow.”

“But what if it’s not? Lapis, you know more about water than almost anyone, how could this happen?” Steven asked.

Lapis drove her will further into the liquid that formed Steven’s human body. “Some of the most efficient solutes – materials dissolved in water – are crystalline. A Lapis has an easier time manipulating water made up of a certain percentage of crystal ‘impurities,’ like salt or sugar.”

“Which are fundamental parts of human physiology!” Connie gushed, taking Steven’s hand. Peridot snorted, but didn’t otherwise complain.

“You’re suggesting that Rose could exist in Steven’s...body crystals,” Garnet said, her voice shaking only a fraction. “Like a fusion.”

Bismuth shook her head. “Not a chance. We’ve seen what happens when you smash a bunch of broken shards together. It’s pretty ugly.”

“Mutant zombie apocalypse...” Peridot whimpered.

“This isn’t the same thing. It’s more like the Cluster is now,” Lapis assured them. _Curiosity. Hope. Loathing – self-loathing, all too familiar to Lapis, but not her own. Shock?_ The blue gem smiled. “I think she’s starting to sense me, as well.” Pearl took a step closer. “It’s not a fusion, though. Steven is definitely in charge, and the other presence, whatever it might be, is just providing some energy.”

“And maybe...memories?” Steven suggested, swallowing.

Lapis bowed her head. “I don’t want to give you false hope, Steven. I have no idea if this is your mother or not.” With a final push that blended raw strength with impossible precision, Lapis became one with the presence, then sat on the floor. _There!_ She pulled her arms back, curling her fingers almost into fists. Steven had cried enough to give her a few droplets to work with, and this time, she had more than enough ocean water to fill out the rest of the frame. Bismuth stepped back, moving out of Lapis’ view.

Rose Quartz formed from that water like a full-sized statue. Lapis closed her eyes, then let them open as portals to her power of reflection. She saw through the figure’s own eyes, as did the presence.

“A Lapis Lazuil?” the figure asked. Lapis didn’t recognize the voice, but based on the gasps and dropped jaws from the others (Peridot aside), the others did. “What – how – oh!” Rose/Pink/Lapis laughed and twirled in place. Lapis felt a brief disorientation at seeing her own body through “her” eyes. “It’s almost like a fusion! You’re amazing! Stars, I love Earth! Anything really is possible here. What did I miss?”

Then she saw Steven, and if she’d frozen any more solid, she would have been made of ice. The two stared at each other, Rose’s eyes gleaming like mirrors –

– _don’t think about it not here not now –_

– while Steven’s were shining with tears. “Mom?”

“Steven!” As though freed by that single word, Rose dashed to her son, throwing a massive hug around Lapis’ savior. “Oh my baby, my boy, I dreamed of this for so long...”

“Rose?” Pearl’s whisper was so hushed, Lapis almost didn’t hear her. Rose and Steven turned sun-bright smiles on her, and if she looked as though she might shatter before, now Lapis feared a human breathing on her too hard. Mother and son reached out to the Pearl, and she ran into the hug, sobbing.

“Rose!” Amethyst cried, joining in. Rose and Pearl threw their arms around her. Lapis surprised herself with a smile. _This is about to turn a thousand types of ugly, but I’ll bet this moment is worth it._

And, as if on cue, Amethyst pulled out of the hug and punched her fist into Rose’s liquid body. “Agh! I’m still mad at you!” the little gem screamed. Rose took a breath to reply.

“Hello, Rose,” Garnet said, her voice as cold as Sapphire’s cryokinesis. “We know.” Pearl gasped, pivoting to move between Rose and Garnet.

Rose’s smile was sad enough to move Lapis’ hollow gem. “You’re going to have to be more specific, Garnet. I have a feeling you know a lot of things.” Connie and Peridot gulped almost in unison.

“Um, guys?” Steven pleaded. “I know we all need to talk, but do we have to do it like that? Now?”

“You. Were. Pink. Diamond,“ Garnet accused, balling her fists and taking a step towards her. Lapis shuddered at the guilt and terror warring in Rose’s – not gem, obviously, but the crystals that served in its place.

“Garnet, _please,_ can’t this wait until Rose is in a proper gem again?” Pearl begged.

“I agree,” Peridot interjected, tapping and swiping on her tablet. “This is putting an unacceptable level of stress on Lapis.” Garnet scowled and stepped back, releasing her fists.

“I’m fine,” Lapis insisted, trying to hide that she was gritting her teeth. “Besides, isn’t her other secret more important right now?”

“Fair enough, Stargem,” Bismuth said, and Rose’s eyes went wide. The big blacksmith came back around where the former Diamond could see her. “Hey, Blossom.”

“Bismuth...” Rose breathed.

“It’s okay!” Steven insisted. “The Breaking Point’s gone, and Bismuth’s a Crystal Gem again!”

“Last I checked, she never stopped being one,” Garnet drawled. Rose’s form wavered.

Bismuth scowled at Garnet, causing the slender fusion to straighten. “C’mon, Garnet, I tried to _kill_ her. I think that’s a little worse than her lying.”

“Bismuth! She. Lied. To _everyone!”_ Garnet snapped.

Rose sobbed once, still clinging to Steven and Pearl. “Oh, Garnet...I’m sorry. I am so sorry.” She looked down and away. “I don’t know how, but no matter how long it takes, I’ll make it up to you. To all of you.” Then she turned and looked at Lapis. _That is so weird, _Lapis thought as she looked at herself through Rose’s eyes. “The rest will have to wait. This is starting to hurt your Lapis friend.”

“I’m _fine,”_ Lapis insisted.

“No you are not, you clod!” Peridot objected, arms slashing through the air above her. “We know that Pink – Rose – we know Steven’s mom is alive, so the two of us can extract her, as long as you don’t crack your gem being a martyr!”

“I’ll be okay, Lapis,” Rose said, smiling down at the slender blue gem. “Come get me when you’re ready.” Then the heroine slipped through Lapis’ grasp, and the figure became water again, draining away.

The Crystal Gems all looked at each other in silence for several moments. “So,” Connie finally said, “what do we do now?”

-SU- -SU- -SU-

“Okay,” Greg said, swallowing, “I bought the diamond and the rose quartz pieces.” He handed them to Lapis, who looked them over. “They’re really solid, but...aren’t they kinda small?” They were, indeed, no larger than pieces of rock salt, though far better formed. The other Crystal Gems were gathered around Steven and Pearl, who looked on with desperate hope.

“Ugh,” Peridot groaned. “Were you paying attention at _all_ to my detailed explanation?”

“Peri,” Lapis soothed, putting one hand on the little gem’s shoulder. Peridot sighed and went back to her console. “Greg, do you know how some humans ‘grow’ crystals by putting minerals in water?” Steven’s father shrugged. “What we’re going to do is somewhat more complicated, but the principle is the same. I’m going to exchange the fluids Peridot and Connie’s mother have prepared with the ones that hold Rose Quartz’s essence. I’ll gather the crystalline substance around the two gems you’ve provided, thus allowing Rose to inhabit the core of her choice.” She favored him with as friendly a smile as she could manage. “If this works, you and Rose should be able to use the other gem to give Steven a sibling without Rose having to sacrifice her existence a second time.”

“Wow,” was all Greg could say.

“Are you sure this is going to work, Lapis?” Pearl worried, her hands clasped tightly enough that Lapis wondered if she’d poof herself from her grip. “I mean, it really sounds like you’re only going to have one chance at this.”

“It’s all right, Pearl,” Lapis insisted. “I can put her back if I have to.” Steven nodded with mute tension. “Are you ready, Peridot?”

After a moment of quivering in place, Peri nodded. “Absolutely. Let’s _do this!”_ She slapped one of the panels, and the floor lit up below Lapis. “This field will maintain the molecular cohesion necessary to ensure complete matrix transfer!” Peridot swallowed. “I hope,” she whispered.

Machines Lapis didn’t remotely understand came to life, humming with light and force. Pools of seaweed and algae floated in tanks of water, providing energy for the gem catalyzation and backup fluids for Lapis. Injector fluid she’d harvested from the Beta Kindergarten hummed below them, Geometric harmony fields formed around Lapis and Steven. “You ready?” Lapis asked, placing a hand on Steven’s shoulder.

Her rescuer nodded. “Please be careful, Lapis,” Steven whispered.

Lapis smiled for him. “I promise, Steven. I won’t take the slightest chance with your mother’s life, or yours. Now, Peridot.”

“What? Wait, I mean you too–” Steven began to object, but then Peri activated the cohesion field, and all Lapis could do was concentrate.

It felt like her very reality was coming apart. Lapis had the power to move oceans, but this was different – she had to push water molecules to move carbon atoms in one direction, and silicon and oxygen atoms in the other, to grow the two gems in perfect symmetry. At the same time, she had to move the injector fluid into the admixture at the exact proper speed and shape to create an artificial exit hole that exactly matched Rose Quartz’s form. Her body wavered with the effort. Her very gem shuddered from the stress. The pain became noticeable, then serious, then breathtaking. Peridot shouted something. Steven and Connie both screamed – her name, perhaps. _It doesn’t matter. I’ve felt worse. Think of Steven. Do it for _ _him. _ _This is for Steven!_

There was something enough like an explosion to throw Lapis across Barn 2.0, and it took spreading her wings to stop herself. Smoke filled the whole laboratory. “No,” Lapis whimpered. “Steven. _STEVEN!”_ she screamed.

“It’s okay,” the woman from before –_ Rose!_ Lapis remembered – called out from the smoke. “Steven’s fine. He’s perfect.”

Trusting nothing but her own eyes to confirm Steven’s safety, Lapis grew her wings to double size, then cleared the smoke with a single gale-force flap. Every person in the room, human and gem alike, stood back up and stared.

Rose Quartz stood there, with her namesake gem in the star on her dress and the diamond embedded in her right wrist. Steven was under her left arm; Rose had just let him go. _Both gems are full-sized and flawless,_ Lapis realized. _I do good work._ She grinned. “Well,” Rose said, looking over her arguably-new body, the two gems in particular. “This is unexpected.”

“ROSE!” Greg and Pearl cried, rushing to her from each side and hugging her, sobbing. Steven turned and joined them, stars shining amidst the tears in his eyes.

Amethyst grunted and crossed her arms, pouting and looking away. “I’m not done being mad at her,” she insisted. Lapis chuckled. So did the others, except for Garnet and Rose.

-SU- -SU- -SU-

“Those clods,” Peridot muttered, “kicking us out of a meeting like that.” She kicked her feet in the air as they sat on the porch, legs dangling over the edge. Sunset painted the ocean a spectacular mix of gold and violet. “We’re Crystal Gems too, aren’t we? She’s alive because of us!” Peri threw her arms in the air, then flopped back. “Clods.”

“Neither of us knew Rose, Peri,” Lapis reminded her. “Besides, Pearl and Garnet have the most...issues to work through with her. I’m not a person to them–“

“WHAT?!” Peridot yelped, flinging herself back into a sitting position.

“–and you got caught up in that,” Lapis finished.

“First of all, I find the notion that the Crystal Gems, of all beings, do not view another gem as sentient to be unlikely in the extreme,” Peri retorted, crossing her arms. “Second, if you are correct, THAT DOESN’T PROVE ME WRONG!”

Garnet flung the door open, storming out. Peridot moved to intercept her, but Lapis put a hand on her friend’s shoulder and shook her head. Peri folded her arms again, swelled her cheeks, and glared as Garnet marched off down the beach.

Rose walked over, noticed where the two were sitting, blinked, then smiled. “Do you mind if I join you?” she asked. _So that’s where Steven got his smile,_ Lapis decided.

“I find that acceptable,” Peri replied. Lapis shrugged.

Before Rose could move, though, Amethyst stormed out. The two looked at each other for a long moment. Then Amethyst hugged Rose so fiercely, Lapis considered intervening before the little quartz warrior poofed her old leader. “I’m still mad at you,” Ame sniffed.

“Talk about mixed signals, Amethyst,” Lapis quipped.

“Don’t care,” Ame sniffed. “Don’t ever do that again.”

“I won’t. I promise,” Rose swore. “With two gems, I might try having another child, but only after consulting my physician.” The gem-titan giggled. “Right, Peridot?”

Peridot huffed. “Indeed. At least someone here appreciates my genius.”

“Hey, I appreciate your genius,” Steven objected, joining them. Amethyst let go, wiped her eyes, and trudged down the stairs towards the enormous statue of Obsidian. “I’m really sorry about you two ending up out here, Lapis, Peridot.”

“It’s fine, Steven,” Lapis insisted.

Peridot huffed again. “Steven, Lapis believes that Pearl and Garnet do not perceive her as a fully realized–“

Lapis gasped, leaping to her feet with a pulse of her wings. “Peri!”

“–being. Kindly inform her of her inaccurate assessment,” Peridot finished, ignoring Lapis’ objection. The blue gem groaned, slapping her forehead.

Steven looked back inside. “That...can’t be right.”

“Steven, dear, I know you’re still recovering from our reunion,” Rose replied, placing a hand on his shoulder, “but I assure you that Lapis is mistaken. Not lying, certainly, but incorrect in her assessment."

“I don’t know, Mom,” Steven said, and Rose literally glowed for an instant. “Ever since Spinel showed up,” he continued, and Rose dimmed more deeply than she’d glowed, “I feel like I don’t know anything.”

“Well, it’s not your burden to bear any longer,” Rose stated, hands on her hips. “We discussed this. I never wanted you to face any of this, and now that I’m back–”

“Don’t!” Steven blurted, grabbing Rose’s shoulders. “You’re right, we _did_ discuss this! I – I love you, Mom! Even if you made mistakes, I know you’re a good person. I want to help you! Please.” Lapis felt a pang deep in her gem. _Oh, Steven…_

Rose sighed. “I know, but you have to let me face them first, okay?” Steven nodded. At that, she sat beside Lapis. “You know, I still haven’t thanked you for saving me.” She grabbed Lapis and Peridot and pulled them into a Universe-sized hug. “So, thank you!”

“Ack! Lapis, help! She’s gonna poof me!” Peridot cried, flailing in Rose’s inescapable grip.

Lapis merely giggled. “You’re welcome. And ignore Peri. She’s a lot tougher than she looks.” Peri grumbled, but Rose let them both go before the little green genius could object again. “Are you two all right?”

“I...dunno,” Steven said. “I’m gonna go talk to Connie, okay?” He headed back into the house, pausing at the door. “Lapis? I can’t think of any way to thank you enough for this...but don’t ever hurt yourself like that again.” He disappeared into the house.

Lapis snorted and shook her head. “Like pain would bother me.”

“Lapis.” Rose didn’t snap at her, but her voice was stern, commanding. _I can believe she was a Diamond,_ Lapis decided. “You are a Crystal Gem. That means you are _not expendable._ This is not debatable.”

“You tell her, Ms. Quartz!” Peridot joined in, leaping to her feet. That made her Rose’s height – at least while the Quartz was sitting down.

“Please, call me Rose,” Steven’s mother insisted, Peridot’s smile beamed.

“How did it go?” Lapis asked, hoping that would divert the subject.

Rose smiled and looked at the sky. “We all still have a lot to talk about. Greg, Pearl and I need to figure out what our relationship is now. Amethyst has conflicted feelings. Bismuth wants to work out our issues in a very Bismuth way – a fistfight.” Lapis giggled again. Peridot sighed. “Garnet is still furious with me. Connie has countless questions. Steven...” Rose’s smile faded away. “My poor baby. I didn’t come into his life until he was almost an adult. I thought most of the fallout of my blunders were behind me, and he could have a few adventures against the scraps and remnants. Something to give him a little excitement and experience. I never imagined the other Diamonds cared.”

“In their own twisted ways,” Lapis snapped, the bitterness shooting through her before she could let it go. Peri gasped.

Rose, however, merely nodded. “Even so, Steven’s wonderful. There’s so much of Greg in him. Garnet, Pearl, and Amethyst were such good mothers. He has such good friends.” She turned her gaze back to Lapis. “I’m...surprised you don’t hate me, for what happened to Spinel.”

“You didn’t know,” Lapis replied, shrugging. “I heard that part. You thought she’d move eventually, you left a message with the least awful of your sisters, and you took her into account with Pink’s ‘death.’ It’s not like the mirror.”

“Pearl and Garnet didn’t know. They couldn’t have,” Rose insisted.

“They why did they hide me from you?” Lapis asked. “From Amethyst?”

Peridot gasped, mouth falling open. Rose stared at her, eyes wide. “I...no. There has to be an explanation.”

“We’ve all messed up. I’m free, Spinel’s free, we’ve all learned, and that’s what matters,” Lapis replied.

“Oh...LAPIS!” Peridot wailed, hugging Lapis and sobbing. Rose stared.

“Peridot held me prisoner too, back when she worked for Homeworld,” Lapis explained. “She’s worked through most of her guilt, but every once in a while, this happens.”

“Well, then.” Rose smiled again, placing her hand back on Lapis’ shoulder. “To finish answering your earlier question, we all have a lot to talk about...but they’re all happy that I’m back. Even Garnet.” She lowered her gaze. “And...I was hoping that we could be friends, too.”

Lapis shrugged. “Okay.”

Rose’s eyes seemed to turn into stars. “Oh, Lapis!” she cried, joining Peridot’s sobbing hug. Lapis sighed again, forcing herself not to glare at the twin rivers of tears running down her arms. _Stars. It’s going to be like this for a while, isn’t it?_

She remembered the joy pouring from Steven when he got his mother back. _Worth. It._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Garnet may seem OOC, but rest assured there's a reason for her attitude here. (Frankly, I'm appalled that the issue I'm thinking of hasn't been addressed. Maybe in SU Future.)


	3. Every Blade of Grass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose works to heal old wounds, but she quickly discovers that she's far from the only source of misery in the universe. Oh, and Lapis sings.

Steven gulped as quietly as he could as he watched Mom, Dad, and Pearl talk through the window. _I shouldn’t peek I shouldn’t peek I shouldn’t – EEK!_

Garnet was standing right next to him. She looked down at Steven, grinned, and opened the window just a hair. She didn’t make a sound.

Steven peeked.

“...want to know how I can make this up to you. Both of you.” Steven peeked around the edge of the window. Rose was sitting, her hands clasped together, looking from Dad to Pearl and back.

“Oh, Rose. You don’t have anything to make up to me.” Pearl’s smile was like a beacon. “I’m just glad you’re back.”

“C’mon, Pearl, we both know it’s more complicated than that,” Greg interjected. Rose sighed. “I don’t have any idea how this is going to work, but we have to figure something out.” Steven made a fist and bit lightly on one finger.

“Yes. Of course,” Rose agreed, but she sounded...unsure? Not just afraid, but afraid of messing up again. _I know that feeling,_ Steven admitted. “Do either of you know where to start? I...don’t.”

Greg cleared his throat. “Pearl?”

Pearl’s mouth wobbled like someone rippling a string up and down. “I...I...” _You can say it,_ Steven willed, his other hand forming a fist as well. _Come on!_ Pearl swallowed. “I love you, Rose!”

Rose blinked. “I...knew that. What–“

“NO!” Pearl cried, and Mom recoiled in surprise. “I mean, I’m _in love_ with you! I always have been!” She deflated in the sofa, as though the declaration had taken all her strength. “And I always will be.”

Rose’s jaw dropped. “...what?” Then she leaped to her feet, eyes bulging and arms outstretched. “What the WHAT?!” Pearl sniffled and nodded, burying her face in her hands. “Stars, Pearl, of all the secrets we’ve kept, why that one? I – I never knew the difference until I met Greg. I’ve loved so many, but you were always first in my gem...” she swallowed, shoulders slumping and arms drooping. “...until him.” Again, Pearl nodded, hunching over, more miserable than ever.

“Pearl and I had a lot of issues to work out,” Greg explained. “Steven basically...fixed us.” Dad chuckled. “I mean, we had to do _some_ of the work, obviously, but you know Steven.” The teen in question blushed a fierce rose color.

“I hope so,” Rose whispered. “So, you two get along now.” They both nodded. Rose hugged herself with one arm and cradled her chin with the other hand. “Love. Love is always the answer.” Garnet clamped a hand over her mouth, and Steven could see all three of her eyes go wide beneath her shades. “Fuse with me!” Mom blurted.

Pearl raised her head again. She and Greg shared a look. “Ah, which one of us, Rose?” Pearl asked.

“Not _one_ of you – _both_ of you!” Rose insisted. Garnet’s jaw dropped. “A fusion of love is a conversation of emotion. There’s nothing we need more than to feel each other right now.” She held out one hand to each of them. _Yes! YES! Mom, that’s brilliant!_

Greg chuckled and stood, taking Rose’s hand, then offering his other one to Pearl. Mom smiled. “That’s the Rose I fell in love with. Pearl?”

“Greg? You’re...okay with this?” Pearl whispered, looking at both hands with a mix of fear and hope. “I thought human traditions–“

“The heck with human traditions!” Dad retorted. “We’re a family, and that means taking care of each other, and we _all_ need this.” Mom’s smile widened, and Steven almost glowed with pride. With trembling hands, Pearl took Dad’s, then Mom’s.

The instant all three made contact, they blended into a four-armed figure in a frilled white top, skin-tight blue jeans, and a guitar on their back. Pearl’s pearl was on their forehead, the quartz was on their collarbone, and the diamond was on their bellybutton. Heir eyes were set in two pairs of three, each trio like a perfect triangle. “Whoa...this is amazing!” the new being declared, doing a pirouette. Garnet clamped her other hand over her mouth. Steven followed her example. “Are we…Milky Quartz? Not bad, but not _us._ Rock Crystal?” Their eyes lit up with stars. “Yes! I’m going to rock the Crystal Gems and set things right. Hey, I’ve got to show the others!”

Garnet flashed Steven a thumbs-up and leaped over the house, disappearing. When Steven looked up to watch, he found Lapis hovering overhead. _Huh?_ he wondered, but before he could even think anything else, Rock Crystal burst out of the door, two arms playing a triumphant riff on the guitar in the process. “I love this! Wait – Steven?!”

Steven flashed the trio a weak smile. “Hi, Moms...Dad...love you?” They sighed, smiled and put a free arm around his shoulders. “You’re...not mad?”

“Of course not, Steven,” Crystal said, their smile growing. “Besides, if we ground you, who’s going to jam with me?” They winked at him with all three eyes on their right side.

Steven’s eyes burst with stars as well. “Jam?!”

-SU- -SU- -SU-

The gathered Crystal Gems stood before the lighthouse, awaiting the arrival of the Diamonds. The field was whole once more, but careful observation made clear the scars of its most recent intruder.

Spinel.

Rose’s gem was filled with a storm of frustration, worry, and regret. _I can’t believe she just...stood there, all that time._ Again, her eyes flickered to Lapis as she thought of her playmate. _I should be able to give her my undivided attention, but of _course_ White wants to be here, and that means Yellow and Blue, and...oh, shatter me, I owe this to Nellie. I can handle the Diamonds. For her._

The Authority’s creepy self-homage ship, less its pink legs, floated down to land before the assembled Gems. A blond human in an apron took pictures from atop the lighthouse. Greg and Pearl each took one of her hands, gave it a squeeze, then stepped back. She stared into the lifeless eyes of White’s command ship.

“Pink?” Blue gasped. Rose shuddered, less at the misnaming and more at the fractured hope she heard in her voice.

“Rose,” Yellow whispered, and hearing a quaver in the voice of her eternally-composed sister nearly drove Rose to her knees. “She prefers Rose.”

“Blue? Yellow?” Rose stared up at the eyes, unable to believe what she heard. “Is that really you?”

“Pink!” Blue wailed, leaping from the palm of her arm. She landed on her knees, sliding to the former Diamond and enveloping her in a literal all-consuming hug. “You’re alive! We’re sorry! We’re sorry about everything! Please don’t go – Rose!”

“You – you cared,” Rose gasped, doing her best to return her literal big sister’s hug. “You really...but the tower, the beatings, the destabilizing–“ the other Crystal Gems gasped, save for Pearl, who settled for a growl.

“_We were wrong!”_ Blue sobbed. “We just wanted you to be strong, to be a Diamond, but Steven helped us understand.”

Somehow, Rose found the strength to chuckle. “I hear that a lot,” she admitted.

“Don’t smother her, Blue,” Yellow insisted, and Blue relented at last, standing and wiping tears away. _If those marks under her eyes are any clue,_ Rose decided, _she’s cried a lot since I last saw her._ Yellow, by contrast, looked much the same – until she hugged herself and looked away. “You’ve grown. I, er, we, are relieved to see you well.”

Rose smiled at the two Diamonds. “I’ve heard that you’re doing well. No more invasions, no more destruction. I know it must be hard, but we’ll find a way to move forward, together.”

“Does that mean you’re coming home?” Yellow blurted. More gasps from the Crystal Gems.

Rose understood what humans meant by the joke about jaws dropping so far that they fell off. “The Earth is my home, Yellow.” They both looked so forlorn, though, she couldn’t help leaping to a notion she’d sworn to hold in reserve. “I’ll visit, I promise!” she swore. “I need some time to make up for mistakes I’ve made here, but I’ve gotten quite the object lesson in the importance of family.”

“Oh,” White replied, and Rose stiffened, “we are so glad to hear that, Starlight.” The Perfect One floated down to join the other Diamonds. “Take a few decades, if that’s what you need. Even a century, if you must.”

“I did longer stints in the tower,” Rose noted, voice even. The surf crashed with a fury that rivaled the clashing feelings in her gem. In spite of all the terrible memories that had torn through her at the sight of the Diamond Authority flagship, only White made her feel like Pink again, if just for a moment. “Hello, White. I am...relieved to see you well. And showing such restraint.”

“Yes, your creation – your _son_ expressed strong opinions about the Authority’s methods,” White explained. “We have endeavored to accommodate him, and through him, your own concerns about our regime.”

“Thank you, White.” Rose kept her worries contained, but she’d long since become familiar with the sensation humans called “butterflies in your stomach.” _You don’t care about organic life. You just want me back,_ she realized. _Still, it’s a start._ She tried to see past her enormous peers, with no success. “Is Spinel with you?”

“She...was reluctant to come with us,” Blue replied, looking away.

Rose felt a hard lump in her throat. _I deserved that,_ she decided. “I understand. When you return, if you could bring her a message? Just tell her...I’m sorry.” She glanced away. “Why didn’t you say something to her, Blue?”

Blue blinked. “I beg your pardon?”

“I left a message. With your Pearl?” Panic surged through the Crystal Gem. “To have someone check on her if she was still there in a month?” Blue’s uncomprehending stare terrified Rose. _How – what – did I imagine it? Make it up in my guilt?_ She wracked her gem for any detail that might help. “Oh! I sent an Aquamarine to leave the message.”

It was Blue’s turn to look horrified. “Oh, no. My Aquamarines can be...self-important at times. I’ve learned that they can ‘forget’ duties they deem beneath them.”

“Oh, really?” Spinel snapped.

Rose couldn’t move. The voice was Spinel’s...but changed, raw, cracked. _Six thousand years,_ she thought, then straightened. _I’ll face–_

Then Spinel sprang out, and it got worse. She looked _terrible,_ with literal lines on her face, heart-shaped hair turned ragged, her body stretched and deformed, her gem upside-down. “Hey, Pink! Didja miss me?”

“Hello, Spinel,” Rose replied, faking as much calm as she could. “Yes, I did.”

Spinel’s eyes widened, shining with tears. Then she shook her head at warp speed, flinging them away. “Well, ya _could have fooled me!”_ Spinel wailed, summoning a Gem Rejuvenator. Steven gasped. Blue and Yellow both stared in horror, but White merely watched. “But don’t worry, ‘cause I’ll fix us both!” She leaped at Rose, who heard the Crystal Gems rush to her defense. The entire shoreline erupted into a massive Lapis Lazuli, surging towards the confrontation.

Rose got there first, dashing at Spinel and grabbing the handle. “No,” she insisted.

“Why not?” Spinel sobbed. “Why won’t you let me make things the way they were?”

“Because you’re not the only gem I hurt, Nellie,” Rose pointed out, eyes closed. “I can’t forget what I’ve done. I won’t. If I do, I can never make it right.”

Spinel sobbed. “It – it didn’t matter, how long it was,” she said. The poor Lapis made a sound like the surf she made crash. “I just wanted my friend back.”

“What?” Rose gasped, eyes flying back open. Spinel let the Rejuvenator go, arms dropping to her sides. “You...you still want to be friends? With me?”

Spinel stared back, swallowing. “Of course. But I did so much bad stuff...”

“So have I, and of _course_ you’re my friend!” Rose insisted. “You’ll always be my friend, Spinel.” Rose immediately found herself entangled in a hug that rivaled Blue’s, thanks to Nellie’s hose-arms. They sobbed into each others’ shoulders for a while.

Then Nellie sprang back and booped her on the nose. “Tag! You’re it!” Six thousand years just vanished, and Rose chased her oldest friend, the two laughing and running as though war and grief and loss had never been.

-SU- -SU- -SU-

Rose lay in the grass beside the lighthouse, alone with her thoughts – and at something like peace – for the first time since the Lapis and Peridot had saved her. _I must learn their Facets, and Peridot’s Cut,_ she thought. _Or are there enough Lazulis for them to have more than one Cut after all this time?_

Steven padded up, but stopped a fair distance away. Rose sat up, her form feeling as though ice water had been poured through it. _Almost exactly the distance I kept from White, _she noted. _I was a poor mother, but I wasn’t _that_ bad...was I?_ She turned and smiled at him, only for the smile to vanish as he looked away. “Steven? You can talk to me, you know.”

“I...I’m not really sure what to say,” the boy replied, swallowing.

Rose forced the smile to return. “Is it that you don’t know, or don’t want to say it?”

“Stop,” Steven whispered. That killed Rose’s second smile, and she took a breath to try again. “No! Stop trying to be all...wise and understanding!”

Rose looked away. “Any wisdom I have comes from learning from my mistakes.”

Steven paused. “I get that, but...” he met her eyes, and the pain Rose saw there stole the light from her gem. “...did you do _anything_ right?”

Rose stamped down a moment’s panic. She folded her hands and forced a serenity she didn’t feel. “At least one,” she pointed out.

“What – me?” Steven blurted. She nodded. “No.” The ice water from a moment ago was nothing compared to the frozen void that consumed her then. “I needed you. Dad needed you! _Everyone_ needed you, but you were gone because you _died_ having me! Why? Was it easier to make me so you wouldn’t have to deal with...” he trailed off, looking pensive and shaken all at once.

“Oh, Steven,” Rose breathed, holding back a sob. “I made so many mistakes, but that wasn’t one of them.” Steven pouted a fraction and folded his arms. “I led a rebellion that defeated the most powerful empire in the known universe. The Crystal Gems survived millennia of hunting titanic beasts that used to be our friends. I’d survived everything a hostile reality could throw at me. No matter how impossible it seemed, I believed that I’d overcome this, or that Pearl would figure something out or that a...a _miracle_ would happen, because that’s how my life had always been.” She permitted herself to glance away. “I failed you, Steven, but I didn’t want to leave you or Greg. I failed by wanting to be with you too much.”

Steven unfolded his arms and sagged. Rose could feel the weight of the stars on his shoulders. “Okay. I get that too. It’s still not something right.” He turned. “I do love you, Mom. But I don’t know if I’ll ever like you.” He walked away.

Rose waited until she could no longer hear him, then dropped to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably. That was why she missed the shadow of splash-shaped wings darting away.

-SU- -SU- -SU-

Steven stared at the ceiling, not enjoying the bed the Gems had made for him as much as he used to. _I know, change, but…_ he sat up with a start. “Agh! Why is this so hard? Why was I so stupid?” He rushed downstairs, looking for Garnet while trying not to seem frantic.

“Hey, Steven,” Peridot announced from the fridge. Steven couldn’t tell whether she was looking for a snack or tinkering with it.

“Hi, Peridot,” he muttered. The diminutive gem spun, almost slamming the fridge door. “Everything okay?”

Peridot gave him a long, considering look. “I thought so until now. An admittedly subjective analysis indicates that your morale is lower than normal.” She rubbed her chin and looked away. “I wonder if this has anything to do with Lapis’ sudden interest in online rhyming dictionaries.”

“Huh?” Steven blurted. “Rhyming? Is that for a morp?”

Peridot huffed. “Meep-morps are a visual medium, Steven. This implies a written, sung, or spoken effort.” She gasped. “If it were any other person, I would suspect a contrafactum.” Steven’s blink was prominent enough to draw Peridot’s attention back to him. “A filk, Steven. She asked me to play what recordings I had of your musical work–”

“Hey, Blue, what’s up?” Amethyst called from outside. Steven rushed to the door, Peridot only lagging behind due to her shorter legs. The remaining Crystal Gems, his Dad, Connie, and for some reason Connie’s mom were all out there. Garnet took off her awesome sunglasses and boggled at Lapis, all three eyes bulging wide.

Lapis was facing the others, her own eyes wide and legs trembling. _She stared down Blue Diamond like she was watching a bad episode of CPH. What the heck?_ Steven wondered, staring.

Then Lapis took in a breath, and – to the tune of “Let’s Only Think About (Love)” – began to sing:

“Pink lived in hiding by the name of Rose  
With the friends she'd made and the form she chose  
We thought Steven was all that lived of her  
And we can hate Rose, if you prefer,  
It can seem like such an awful plight,  
Until you think about what went right.”

The all stared. Lapis swallowed, looking like she’d poof on the spot, but then took a breath and continued, belting out lines like a pro:

“Every blade of grass,  
Every cloud above,  
From the grandest blue whale to the most adorable bug,  
There's so many beautiful things on Earth, that no one even knows,  
and every one of them is here because of Rose.”  


Pearl flashed a smile that disappeared like lightning. "Is it really that simple? After all..." she whispered, glancing at Bismuth. As if that were her cue, Lapis continued:

“We can dwell on how much, we were hurt in the past,  
We can dwell on the fear, and grief, and how long they could last.  
Or we can cherish the seas,  
Lounge around in the trees,  
Be grateful for sunlight and butterflies and a warm breeze!”

Peridot’s jaw looked about to fall off. "Who are you, and what have you done with Lapis Lazuli?" Lapis grinned at her friend, the quip galvanizing her:

“We can run in the flowers, we can eat too much cake.  
We can let ourselves be ourselves in a world we have the power to make.  
There's so many beautiful things on Earth, that no one even knows,  
and every one of them is here because of Rose.”

Steven realized with a start that he’d gone down the stairs and joined Connie, all without noticing. He almost missed the tears trickling down his cheeks.

“Do you really think, how you feel about her?  
When it comes to Pink and the  
things that she did in the past, I defer.”

"'Defer?'" Amethyst asked, looking at Pearl and Garnet.

"In this context, it means she leaves that decision to us," Pearl explained. Garnet put her sunglasses back on.

"Oh," Amethyst muttered. Lapis went on:

“Or we can all feel better, cause we are free to be us,  
It's all because Rose Quartz decided to raise a fuss!”

Greg and Pearl hugged Rose, looking like they were about to cheer. Bismuth laughed, pumping a fist in the air. _Were you there, Lapis?_ Steven wondered. _Did you do this for me?_ Lapis, for her part, paused, watching Peridot for several seconds.

“Yes we all made mistakes, that feel deep as the ocean.  
I don't know why some think Rose was immune to this sad notion.  
We could give in to broken faith in a hero who made hard choices,  
Or we can remember that thanks to her fight we are  
free to raise all our – free to raise all our voices!”

All at once – _thank you crystal bellybutton magic!_ – Steven knew the rest, joining Lapis for the final chorus:

“There are times we feel joy, there are times we feel pain  
There are times we get sunshine, there are times we get rain  
There's so many beautiful things on Earth, that no one even knows,  
and every one of them is here because of  
every one of them is here because of  
every one of them is here because of  
Rose.”  


The other Crystal Gems erupted into cheers and shouts of “encore!” Lapis blushed indigo-deep. “As a master of self-recrimination myself,” she muttered, somehow reclaiming her stoic facade even as a huge group hug grew around her, “I thought it might help to accentuate the positive. Or at least remind people of it.”

“That was amazing, Lapis!” Steven gushed, then turned to meet his mother’s eyes. He smiled, and Rose’s eyes shone like stars. “And you’re right. I really needed it.”

“Oh, Lapis, that was wonderful!” Pearl cried, somehow reaching the center of the group and throwing her arms around the powerhouse. “Thank you so–“

Lapis stiffened the moment Pearl made contact. The eruption of joy vanished like a popped balloon, and the whole hug fell apart. Steven realized distantly that Garnet and Dr. Maheswaran had never joined in. “Oh,” Pearl whispered, arms darting from Lapis to wrap around herself, instead. “I. Ah.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Lapis mumbled, shrugging. “I get it.” Steven gaped. _Well, I don’t!_ he thought, horrified, and moved to say something.

“Connie?” Dr. Maheswaran asked in that even voice she used when she wanted verbal room to maneuver. Steven lost whatever he’d been about to say. Pearl, stricken, looked to Garnet, but the fusion merely shrugged. “What did I miss?” She wasn’t exactly glaring at Lapis, but Steven wouldn’t have called it friendly, either.

All at once, Pearl fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands. “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Lapis!” Mom took a step towards her, but Dad put a hand on her shoulder. “We should have – a crack like that, you shouldn’t have been able to – oh, _Stars,_ Lapis, I’m sorry!”

Again, the entire group stared. Only Garnet remained impassive. Lapis trembled, but not out of fear this time. “Why?” she asked. “You could have at least checked. I was trapped – alone – I’d been in there for two _thousand years _ when you found me.” Lapis had managed to stay composed until then, but the trembling threatened to turn into an explosion. Dr. Maheswaran gasped, sounding ill. Steven took a step towards them, but Connie stopped him with a gesture so like his father’s, the déjà vu alone held him fast. “Rose could have healed me. Garnet could have seen what talking to me would be like. You could have at _least_ had the decency to _shatter me!”_ Bismuth’s gasp was so pained, Steven felt it like he’d been struck himself.

“Garnet did look,” Pearl wept. “She only saw disaster if we released you. Shorelines ruined. Rivers flooded. _Rose shattered._ You were already the most powerful Lapis in the universe after all that time in the mirror. Please believe me, we never thought you could be awake in there, not with a wound like...we should have...” Steven’s surrogate mother seemed to collapse on herself. “You saved us from Blue Diamond. You saved _Rose._ Even after everything we did to you..._I’m sorry...”_ Steven trembled in Connie’s grip, but he could _feel_ her begging him to trust her. So he did.

Lapis gazed down on the distraught gem. Somehow, Steven knew that one word could shatter Pearl, and that Lapis was aware of it as well. The blue gem made a fist…

...then let it go, and so slowly Steven wondered if he was dreaming, knelt beside Pearl. “It’s all right,” she whispered. Pearl looked up in shock. Lapis let out a wry chuckle. “I mean, if we kicked out every mess of a Crystal Gem, it’d just be Steven and Connie in a clubhouse. I...” she took Pearl’s hands in hers. “...I just needed to hear the words. More than I imagined. Thank you, Pearl.”

Once more, Pearl threw her arms around Lapis, sobbing. Steven hugged his other parents. “Mom, I’m sorry too,” he said, then jumped in before she could start beating herself up again. “I was wrong. You did lots of amazing stuff. I _do_ like you! I guess...” he looked up at her, the smiles and stars in their eyes mirroring one another. “...we’re all cleaning up after folks who came before us, huh?” He looked at where Lapis was comforting Pearl-Mom – where the woman who always ran away stayed and helped the one who’d been stuck in the past for so long move forward.

“Yes, Steven,” Rose-Mom’s arm was warm and comforting, a feeling he’d dreamed of for as long as he can remember, “but as long as we work together, we can put an end to our old messes.” Then she giggled. “It’s the only way to make room for new ones.” Then she messed up his hair with one huge hand.

“Moo-oom!” Steven wailed, and Dad laughed even as he wiped tears from his eyes.

Dr. Maheswaran cleared her throat. In spite of the gentle mayhem, she got everyone’s attention in an instant. “Would someone care to tell me how long ago Pearl found Lapis’...magic prison mirror?”

Pearl looked up again, her smile miserable. “Three...thousand...years?”

Connie’s mom turned red from the neck up like something out of a cartoon. Pearl gulped. Connie rushed over to mediate. Rose let Steven go to step in. Lapis sighed.

Steven knew how she felt. _Oh boy._


End file.
